Seeking fair treatment for minorities

ID. Nugroho , Contributor , Jakarta | Wed, 04/07/2010 11:25 AM | Features
With hesitation, Karta and two fellow villagers entered the waiting room of the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) in Pancoran, South Jakarta. The rows of seats in the room were left vacant as the three Baduy Dalam men chose to sit cross-legged on the floor. “It’s not a mosque, is it? Our ancestors forbid us to sleep in a house of worship,” said Karta, who was visiting the other two.
Karta’s appearance in Jakarta a few months ago was a little surprising, at least to the legal aid office staff. He and his peers look very different to most people. They wear the typical clothes of the Baduy Dalam tribesmen in Banten, with dull white shirts, black sarongs resembling women’s skirts and white headcloths.
To Jakartans, they are a rare sight. “People along the road were staring at us, but these are our clothes,” recalled Karta, adding “For us, it’s important to avoid bad conduct, which is an ancestral taboo we dare not breach for fear of being expelled from our community.” The Baduy Dalam people are known for their total obedience to the daily customs passed down by their progenitors.